Do You Watch Too Much TV? Turn It Off And Read A Book!

I am trying to talk my husband into cutting off the cable. Over 300 channels and we watch a total of 5 or 6 of them! Besides, hearing about all the mayhem in the world on a daily basis is depressing! We can catch up with the news on a weekly basis on the computer. If a crisis happens, it will be all over the Internet anyway!

He still hasn't agreed, but I am working on it. The TV is our biggest consumer of electricity! While I have (and use) air conditioning during the hot summer months, we don't set it to a low temperature, nor do we run it for very many weeks. Instead we let the passive design of our house do the work and stay on the main floor as much as possible. This strategy keeps the electricity use low.

Anyway, back to the TV. I can tell you for a fact that you don't need it! Try turning it off for a day or two! The world will not end without you knowing it. I promise! It amazes me how much can accomplish in the evening hours when the TV isn't on. If you get tired in the evening and don't have the energy to do any more of the daily chores, then try reading a book!  You can learn anything you want from a book. You can also be entertained! As we all know, when Hollywood makes a movie from a book, you always hear someone say that the book was better!

Do you like history? There are many excellent authors that write compelling stories on key leaders that shaped America. David McCullough is one of my favorites. In our house, we have his books on John Adams, Harry Truman and the wonderful book he wrote on the Revolutionary War called 1776.

I also like the historical novels from author Gloria Waldron-Hukle. She has done extensive work on her family history and has written three wonderful books about her ancestors. Her first book: Manhattan, Seeds of the Big Apple was about her relatives who were some of the first citizens of New Amsterdam! (New Amsterdam was what the Dutch called New York when they arrived in the new world.) Each of her books focuses on a different period in American History, and the characters are real people that lived during those times! They are extremely well written and fun to read.

If you wish to be entertained with pure fiction, let me suggest an author I was introduced to this past summer. Dorothy Gilman

Ms. Gilman died in 2012 of Alzheimer's disease, but she left a legacy of fun in the books she wrote! My favorites are the Mrs. Pollifax series. The first book sets the stage for the rest in the series. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax. Mrs. Pollifax is a widowed grandmother. She doesn't like her life anymore, she thinks it's too boring. She decides to become a spy! Ms. Gilman wrote 14 books in the Mrs. Pollifax series. This summer, I read all of them! If you like Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, you will LOVE Mrs. Pollifax.

Mrs. Pollifax doesn't know how to be a spy. But, from her years of experience in living, she does know human nature very well! She puts that knowledge to work in the missions she is given. Many times I have laughed so hard at her antics that I ended up with tears in my eyes! 

Books don't have to cost a lot of money. If you have a Kindle, purchase the digital version. They are also very reasonable. If you have no extra money to spare, borrow one from your local library for FREE. Visit your local library and stroll the shelves. I am sure you will find something that interests you!

Try turning off the TV and reading a book for one night. Do it together as a family. A few days later at the dinner table each person can talk about the book they are reading. I am sure you will enjoy yourself much more than you do watching TV!